“What do you want?”
She could face the most disgruntled customer in the world. Or take vacations by herself and make out with virtual strangers. But the thought of facing Mason again was anxiety-inducing. “I want everything to go back to normal, to how it was when I was just doing my work here at Pony Expresso and didn’t have to deal with any of this.”
“So you like him too.” Her best friend stated this as though it were a fact.
She opened her eyes to glare at her. “How did you get that from me saying I just want everything to go back to normal?”
“As if I haven’t gotten a good idea of your M.O. If you really had no interest in the guy, you’d have no problems telling him to leave you alone. But you’re not doing that. You’d rather avoid him instead. That’s different.”
“Don’t psychoanalyze me. I’m putting you on bathroom-cleaning duties. I don’t care if you don’t work here anymore.”
Mia snorted a laugh. “Yeah, nice try.”
She pushed from the wall, returning to standing. “I just got an idea. What are you doing this weekend?”
“You mean, Thanksgiving weekend? Eating leftovers and hanging out with Ross.”
“So, like every weekend?”
Mia stuck her tongue at her. “Better than working.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t you want to make a little extra money? It’s just for a few days and I could really use the help.” Having a buddy around might prevent the situation from getting worse and keep her from giving in to temptation.
Mia studied her. “You’re asking me to be your buffer, aren’t you?”
“No! I just… It’s probably going to be the busiest weekend for people getting a Christmas tree and I’m there all by myself, and it was hard enough last weekend when I barely had a chance to go to the bathroom or scarf some food down. Please.” Natalie interlaced her hands together, bringing them to her chin as if this was a desperate plea.
Her friend groaned. “All right, fine. I’m doing it because I care about your bladder. And after I convince Ross that we need a fancy tree this year, you have to give me a break to go pick one out with him.”
“You mean you haven’t convinced him yet. That doesn’t sound like you.”
She adjusted her glasses while smiling smugly. “That’s because I haven’t even begun to try yet.”
Natalie was so grateful she wrapped her in an excited hug. “Thank you! It’s going to be like old times with us working together. We’ll have fun. I just have to warn you about Diva Santa.”
“Wait. Who?”
